Building wall structure



Sept. 14, 1937. L. E. wlLLsoN BUILDING WALL STRUCTURE Filed June 13,1936 2 Sheets-Sheetl Ww A l l L. E. WILLSON BUILDING WALL STRUCTURESept. 14, 1937.

V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1956 gama-@ 1 M72 en Patented Sept.14, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENToFFlcE BUILDING WALL STRUCTURE Lester E.Willson, Streator, Ill.,.assgnor to Brick- V-Neer Sales Company,'Streator, Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Appiic'atiqn Julie 13, 1936,serial-N0. 85,101 5 claims. (o1. l:fz-19) 5 buildings to improve theirexternal appearance as well as their heat and water resistingproperties.One object of the invention is to provide a wall structurel whichwhenYcompleted has the appearance of a standard brickv wall but whichemploys surfacingelements in the form of relatively thin slabs or tileswhose faces are of substantially the same dimensions as standard bricks.Another object is to provide a wall of this character which may be builtup rapidly and accurately by relatively unskilled mechanics;

another object is to provide a wall surface structure which may beapplied to basic wall structure in a manner insuring close and rmsecurement thereto of ay permanent nature.` Other objects will appearfrom the description which follows. The invention thus consists incertain features andelements of construction incombination as hereinshown and described and as indicated'by the claims. i

In the drawings: l

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vside elevation of a wall structure embodyingthis; inventionY with parts broken away to show the several layers ofthe structure. Y

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially as indicated at line2-2 on Figure 1 and on a larger scale.

Figure 3 is a vertical section similar to Figure 2 showing a slightlymodied form of tile or facing slab.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are perspective detail views respectively, of threealternative forms of fastening elements or nails for holding the tilesin place.

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation cfa .wall structure with afurther modiiicationof the fasteningmeans applied thereto..

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the fastener shown in Figure 7. i

Figure 9 is a vertical section of a typical -wall employing retainingwiresas fastening means for the tiles.

Figure' 10'is a perspective View of a fragment of one ofthe wires withspecial 'supporting nails assembled thereon.

Figure 11 is a sectional viewsimilar to Figure 9, but showing adifferent form? of tile in which the'edge is grooved instead of beveled.

My improved wall structure is intended primarily for Vapplication toso-called frame or wooden buildings in place of shingles, siding,

stucco or other external surface finish, and is applicable both to newstructures and to `old buildings. The tiles or slabs which constitutethe exterior surfacing material may be secured directly againstsheathing or any fiat surface that will receive nails, but when thesurface is too uneven it may be covered first with sheet material suchas composition board;. if heat` insulation is wanted, a board such asC'elotex or some similar material may be employed. My wall structure mayalso be used as an interior wall treatment where desired. By way ofillustration, the drawingsshow the basic wall as consisting ofjthe usualframing members, I, covered by sheathing boards, 2. I apply directlyover the sheathing boards, Y2, a, sheet or panel of any suitable,composition board ysuch as Celotex which is indicated at 3, and at thelowest point of the wall to be thus treated I'may provide a supportingmetallic molding, 4, having a vertical leg,:4a, which maybe nailedagainst the sheathing, 3, adjacent Vits bottom edge, and a horizontallyprojecting leg, 4b, forming a ledge on which `the -vplower` edge of-thewallboard panel may rest.` Preferably the outer edge, 4C, of the moldingis bent-obliquely upward to engage closelythe lower edges of the firstcourse of facing tiles or,.;slabs,y 5,L whichform the outer surfaceofthe finished wall. However, this particulanform ofsupportfor the firstcourse is not` essential; Vthe foundation may already afforda: shoulderormay be altered to include suchrafsupporting ledge, made of concrete;or a wooden strip may beused as a temporary support, being removed aftertuck-pointing of the tiles and replaced by a permanent ledge such as aconcrete Vbevel base.

Eachgof the slabs, 5, has substantially the same external dimensions asthe exposed face of a standard brick, but the thickness vof the slab ismuchlless andjneed not exceed one-half inch. The slabs may be made ofthe same material as' regular face brick cut to the desired thickness`and burned in accordance with methodsr already perfected, or theymaybemade of other suitablel 'material` suchas concrete or asphalt, forexample. Preferably the longer edges, 5a, of eachi tile, 5, -which'formthe horizontal edges in the usualarr'angement of the tilesfin a wall asin .Figure l, are beveled or otherwise shaped to extendobliquely withrespect to the outer face, 5.,of the tile, instead of at right anglesthereto. YThis affords oblique surfaces which may be en.

Vgaged by .fastening means such as nailsfS, driven into the board, 3,andv preferably through it'into the sheathing, 2, in the spaces betweenthe adjacent courses of the tiles for holding them firmly in place. Theback surface of each tile, 5, is substantially flat so that it may fitflatly and. closely against the outer surface of thewbacking whenapplied directly to the sheathing or to the board, 3, and secured inposition by the nails, 6; and being disposed between adjacent courses ofthe tiles the head of each nail, 6, engages the inclined edges of twoadjacent tiles, thus spacing them apart and keeping this spacingsubstantially uniform ready to be lled in with mortar applied after themanner of tuck-pointing. The mortar, which is omitted from the sectionalviews, Figures 2 and 3, appears at 1., in the finished portion of thewall structure shown in Figure 1, and being applied flush with the outersurfaces of the tiles, 5, or almost flush, in accordance with l standardpractice, this mortar will entirely conceal the heads of the nails, 6,or other equivalent fastening means by which the tiles are closelysecured to the board,v3. The mortar,.1, filling the grooves between theYadjacent tiles except for the small spaces occupied by the nails, 6,will bond with the backing, 3, exposed at the bottoms of these grooves,as well as with the edgesurfaces of the tiles themselves and will thusvform the tiles and the board into a substantially unitary and rigidwall structure which is firmly held by the nails, 6, to thek sheathin2,or other basic structure.

yAs shown in Figure 2, the inclined portions of the horizontal edges ofeach tile do not extend from the inner to the outer face of the tile butare disposed intermediate these faces at 5, where they are joined bynarrow perpendicular surfaces, 5@l and 5e, extending respectively to theback and front faces of the tile. This stepped formation affords: thedesirable inclined surface, 5c, for engagement with the heads of thenails, 6, without unnecessarily widening the grooves or channels betweenadjacent tiles at their outer surfaces and without unduly narrowing thebottom portions of these grooves adjacent the backing element, 3. Thusthe tuck-pointing is given ample surface for bonding with the backingboard, 3,V but does not become too prominent a feature of the wall-patits outer surface.` However, if preferred, the tiles may be made asshown at I5 in Figure 3 with plainly beveled edges, I5,`but with thiscontinuous straight bevel if the tiles are spaced apart so as to affordthe same width of the groove at the bottom, the groove at the outersurface will be considerably wider than that which results when tilesofthe form shown in Figure 2 are used', unless the angle of Vthe bevelededges, |51, more nearly approaches the perpendicular, as in fact it doesin the design illustrated in Figure 3.

Whichever form of tile is employed, each individual tile is held firmlyin contact with the outer surface of the backing member, 3,' so that nocement or adhesive need be employed between the outer surface ofthe'member, 3, and the inner or back surface of the tile; and thesecuring means which holds the tile in place is therefore disposedwholly in the spaces between adjacent tiles.

Instead of employing a unitary headed nail, 6, I may secure a fastenerwith a sufficiently large head by adding to an ordinary nail, 6, awasher, I'I, as shown in Figure 5. Or, if preferred, a special fastenermay be made in the form shown in Figure 6 in which the pointed shank,I8, is rigidly secured in an oblong head, I9, which, if desired, may bemade with beveled edges to assist it in seatingA more'snugly against theinclined edges of adjacent tiles. When thev nails of Figure 4 or Figure5 are used I prefer to apply two nails to each horizontal edge of thetile, and since each nail will engage the adjacent edges of two tilesthis results in the arrangement shown in the left-hand portion ofFigure 1. Near the righthand end of the figure, I have indicated apreferred arrangement of the fastening means shown in Figure 6. One ofthese devices is suiiicient in the length of each tile and may bedisposed substantially at the middle of this length engaging'the upperedge of the tile; at the opposite side of the groove each fastener willthus engage the extreme vend portions of the two adjacent tiles withVthe result that Veach tile is thus held in position by three fasteners,one engaging the middle of one horizontal edge'k and the other twoengaging opposite ends of the other horizontal edge of the tile.

Asa modification of -thev elongated fastener, I9, I haveshown in Figures7 and 8a two-part fastener consisting of a standard' nail, 20, and amember which may be formed as a casting, but, preferably, as a sheetmetal stamping, and which consists of a fiat central body portion, 2|,with obliquely projecting wings, 22, extending laterally therefrom atlboth ends. The wings are. omitted at the middle of the fastener'so asnot to interfere with the mortar or tuck-pointing of the vertical jointswhich, as indicatedin Figure 7, will.`

intersect the horizontal joints at the points at which these fastenersare applied. The nail extends through an aperture at the middle of thelength of the flat body portion, 2|, so that its shank may be driventhrough the backing, 3, and into the sheathing, 2, with its head servingto draw the fastener wings, 22, into firm contact with the sloping orbeveled edges'of adjacent tiles. `The distance of thewings from thesecuring nail, 20, and also their ability to yield somewhat in theirangular relation to the. middle portion, 2|, particularly if Vthe deviceis made of sheet metal, will avoid any possibility of cracking orchipping of the tile in the process of applying the fastener.

Figures 9, 10 and 11 illustrate still another form of fastening meanswhich consists of a series of parallel wires, 30, extending horizontallyover the backing, 3, in spaced relation to its outer surface andparallel to each other. For thus mountingv these Wires they may beprovided with specially formed nails, 3|, preferably bent at rightangles at 32 and then curved around the wire, 3|), each nail thus havinganeyeby which it is permanently attached to the wire with capacity forsliding along it to any convenient position. Preferably, these nailswill be driven into the backing, 3, and sheathing, 2, at the verticaljoints between the tiles, though not necessarily at eachvertical joint,and two parallel Wires, 30, will be mounted in each horizontal jointwith one wire engaging the lower edge of the tile above it and the otherwire engaging the upper edge of the tile below it. Figure 9 being asection taken at one of the vertical joints, shows one of the tiles, 35,in end eleclosed joints, 45X, between the tiles, if desired, though itwill be evident that the tiles may be spaced apart at any preferreddistance. With this type of tile the supporting molding, 4, at the loweredge of the wall, may be of the form heretofore described, and as shownin Figure 9, or it may be shaped as shown in Figure 11 to conform morenearly to the grooves in the edges of the bottom curve of the tiles, 45.

It will be recognized that various further modifications in the form ofthe fastening means may be made without departing from the spirit andprinciple of the invention, and it will be understood that in any eventthe fastening means will be disposed Wholly below or back of the planeof the outer surface of the tiles so as to be entirely concealed by thefilling of mortar at 1 when this is applied to complete the wallsurface.

I claim:

1. A wall structure which includes a backing and a layer of separateindividual facing tiles disposed flatly in close 'contact with the outersurface of said backing, said tiles being arranged in rows and spacedfrom each other, two opposite edges of each tile being formed withoutwardly facing surfaces inclined with respect to the face of the tileand securing means each comprising a flat, sheet metal body with flaringwings oppositely inclined to said body to engage the said inclinedsurfaces of adjacent tiles, and a headed shank penetrating the body tosecure it tothe backing.

2. A wall structure which includes a backing and a layer of separateindividual facing tiles disposed atly in close contact with the outersurface of said backing, said tiles being arranged in rows and spacedfrom each other, two opposite edges of each tile being beveledconverging outwardly, and securing means each comprising a flat bodywith yieldably flaring wings formed to engage the oppositely bevelededges of adjacent tiles, and a headed shank penetrating the body portionto secure it to the backing.

3. In the 'combination defined in claim 1, said wings being disposedadjacent the end portions of the body and interrupted at its middleportion.

4. A wall structure which includes a backing and a layer of separateindividual facing tiles disposed flatly in close contact with the outersurface of said backing, said tiles being arranged in rows with spacesbetween the tiles and between the rows, the spaces between the tiles ofone row being staggered with respect to those in the next row, andsecuring devices each comprising a shank adapted to penetrate thebacking and an oblong head dimensioned to fit the space between two rowsof tiles, the shank being placed adjacent the space between two tiles ofa row so that the oblong head engages three tiles simultaneously, andthe tile edges being formed to afford lodgement for the edges of saidhead whereby the head will press the tiles against the backing.

5. A wall structure which includes a backing and a layer of separateindividual facing tiles disposed flatly in close contact with the outersurface of said backing, said tiles being arranged in rows with spacesbetween the tiles and between the rows, the spaces between the tiles ofone row being staggered with respect tothose in the next row, andsecuring devices ea'ch comprising a shank adapted to penetrate thebacking, and an oblong head having a flat body portion with yieldablyaring wings dimensioned to fit the space between two rows of tiles andengage the edges of adjacent tiles, said wings being disposed adjacentthe end portions of the body and interrupted at its middle portion andthe shank being placed adjacent the space between two tiles of a row sothat the wings of the head engage three tiles simultaneously, the tileedges being formed to afford lodgment for the wings of said head wherebythe head will press the tiles against the backing.

LESTER E. WILLSON.

